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Mayor proposes ordinance to allow speed and red-light cameras; council sends proposal to ad hoc
Summary
Mayor Roberto Alves asked the council to begin a process to authorize automated traffic enforcement devices under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-307C, citing a recent increase in enforcement and a bus-stop-arm camera pilot; council voted to form an ad hoc to draft an ordinance and plan.
Mayor Roberto Alves asked the Danbury City Council to begin the process of adopting an ordinance authorizing automated traffic enforcement safety devices — commonly known as speed and red-light cameras — under Connecticut General Statute Section 14-307C.
The request, read into the record by the legislative assistant, said the Danbury Police Department and the mayor’s office have increased enforcement activity by more than 300% over the past two years and noted the city’s stop-arm cameras on school buses have been used successfully for six months. The communication asked the council to adopt an ordinance and approve a city plan that would identify proposed camera locations; both the ordinance and plan must go to a public hearing and the State Department of Transportation must approve the plan before installation.
Councilwoman Holly Robinson moved to receive the communication and send the proposed ordinance and plan to an ad hoc committee that would include the mayor’s office, corporation counsel, the police chief or designee, and other necessary departments. The council approved the referral by voice vote and named members of the ad hoc.
Why it matters: automated enforcement is a policy that changes how traffic violations are detected and can produce ongoing citation revenue, raise data security and privacy considerations, and typically requires state-level approval and local decisions about camera siting and operation. The mayor’s communication framed the proposal as a public-safety measure backed by police enforcement data and a recent bus-camera pilot.
What happens next: the ad hoc committee will work with city staff to develop an ordinance and a camera-location plan; both would be the subject of a public hearing before the council and would require submission to and approval by the Connecticut Department of Transportation prior to any installations.
Quote from the record: “I believe the next essential step to furthering safety on our streets is to begin the process to implement an automated traffic enforcement safety devices program,” the mayor’s written communication stated.
Provenance: topicintro SEG 241; topfinish SEG 276.
